What's the minimum?

[Big_Dave]

What's the minimum amount of..................

Straps

Chains

Binders

Portable winches

'Corner protectors' (for straps)

'Equipment protectors' (like a piece of old fire hose, for chains)

........that a flatbedder should have on hand at ALL times? :wtf:

I ask this because I may very well be stepdecking or dragging a lowboy very soon. As a company driver, I'd assume that they'd have the needed amount of each on hand, but ya never know. :wtf:

[Foxfire]

That is the company's rsponsibilty Dave. But to be safe I'd have at LEAST 12 chains and binders, 14 to 16- 4" straps, 4 to 6- 2" hand straps,and 24 to 30 corner protectors. I, personally never used portable winches but I did carry a couple of extras in the side box that could be slid on the track with the rest of the winches in the event one broke or got bent so it couldn't be utilized. As far as chain protectors, I kept old 4" straps and cut them into about 2 ft. lengths and every once in a while you can run up on some pieces of flat rubber that can be used for that purpose.
If you are going to be pulling what you told me about then you won't need to worry about anything except 4" straps. Two over the front pallets and two over the last pallets and one across each of the others and you are good to go. Just make sure you bind them down as tight as you can without denting the metal on the housings.

[Big_Dave]

That is the company's rsponsibilty Dave
I know! But I need an idea before I even attempt to make it look like I know what I'm doing dragging a stepdeck or lowboy. ;) :p :rofl:

All silliness aside, I've dragged a lowboy before, hauling heavy equipment. So I at least got a good idea as to how stuff needs to be strapped / chained down.

I would just hate to accept this offer and not know exactly what should be in the toolboxes waiting use.

Know what I mean?

Thanks for the answer. :cool:

[Uturn2001]

Now keep in mind I did your basic flatbedding. My equipment list was:

10 chains
10 binders
20 4 inch strap
10 2 inch straps with ratchets.
1 all purpose cheater bar
24 corner protectors
12 chain protectors
48 bungee cords
2 24 foot lumber tarps.
8 8 foot v cut 4x4 timbers
8 coil racks

[LindaLou]

Hi Dave...I too had a "recomended list" of equipment to have before I took off. It included 12 4" straps, 4 2" ratchet straps, 20 small 4" load/strap protectors, 10 chains, 20 binders, 10 coil chain protectors, 6 6' Vee Boards, 8 3' Vee Boards, a winch bar/binder combo (I like the one with the square area on the end to catch the binder, it seems longer for better leverage) 2 lumber tarps w/8' drop, one steel top tarp w/4' drop, a LOT of bungees, 12 plastic tarp corner protectors, 2 coil racks, an extention ladder and a "tarp repair kit" (a roll of duct tape! HA!) I have used most all of it in the past month. All of the flat haulers I have met and spoke with are pack rats, have pieces of carpet, rubber matting, old straps and such to protect tarps. Some of the things I would recomend that I have are a 4' step ladder (best $30 I ever spent), a 4' dowel with a screw hook in the end to get bungees up on high hooks, a cordless drill with 3.5" teflon coated exterior screws (reusable, easy to remove). Hope you like it if you go with it and hope to see ya out here!

[Truckdobe]

One of my fav things is my 12' Gorilla ladder, it folds down to 4' for easy storage.

We don't carry 1/2 of the above mentioned, no v-boards, lumber tarps... Just don't haul freight that needs that stuff.

Decided this year to change 3/8 chain to 10' sections, it's easier to use & find. All 3/8 are 10', all 5/16 are 20'.

If you have a step, make sure you have some extra long straps (35 or 40'), the 30' won't work on full height/cube stuff, nor over-size. 4" portable ratchets also come in handy AND the Hugz portable/drop-ins are great (though pricey).

[Curlyfrompgh]

This is the minimum equipment you should have.
· Coil Racks (10)
· Beveled lumber (8) short 4’ (4) long 8’ hardwood preferred
· Chains, Transportation Grade-70 (10) 20’ long 3/8” thick is preferred, but 5/16” is minimum.
· Chain Ratchet Binders (10)
· Edge Protectors Plastic (20) Steel (20)
· Moving pads (4) {2 for front end of load & 2 for back end}
· Patch kit for tarp (1) This consists of 1 can of tarp glue, a SHARP pair of scissors, a laminate roller, a bottle of rubbing alcohol (or other cleaner), & a terry cloth towel.

When you can, this list is equipment above the minimum requirement that you should have.

· Moving pads (4 more, 8 total)
· Rubber anti-skid mats (2) These are all purpose. They can be used as edge protection for tarps, straps, or both, as anti-skid under the first two pallets of the load,(this will chew them up but on a trailer with a smooth deck like yours on some loads is worth it for the peace of mind.) and I’m sure you’ll find more uses for them. They are 1/16” thick sponge rubber.
· 3” Ratchet strap & ratchet with chain & hook ends 5400# rated (2) 2” straps are minimum for transportation, but it is felt by many (myself included) that the 3” is min for loads and the 2” is to be used to secure dunnage or tarps to prevent flapping etc.
· Winch track and 14 winches
· Plastic edge protectors (20 more 40 total)
· Rubber Straps 6”x 8’x 1/8” (10) Used as edge protection for nylon straps. They allow you to put 1 piece of E.P. on the load that protects the strap from the sharp edges and any steel banding or band clamps that they may come into contact with. Vee-Boards (# required depends on the length of the boards used to make them. Should have at least enough to cover 24’ both sides.) Used for hauling freight that requires that the pressure of the strap be spread out across the load. Brick is the primary load these are for, but can be used on others such as open top Gaylord boxes or sheet rock to prevent the straps from crushing the load.
This list was originally for a new driver in uor company who was sverely under equipped

[Curlyfrompgh]

"tarp repair kit" (a roll of duct tape! HA!)
Duct tape may keep the tarp from getting worse or keep a load from getting wet till you can get it patched. But I don't use it for a few reasons:
It's a temporary fix that will have to be done over but makes it a pain when you do because the glue on the tape is a pain to get off :angry: If you don't have a clean surface the tarp glue won't hold and the "permanant" patch you put on won't stay on long :vmad:
It looks like $hit! :wow:
Even if you hot patch, with that tape adhesive it's still not likely to last long. If I get a tear in my tarp I'll pull the ends together poke a couple holes along the cut and use zip ties and suture the cut. This gives the repair some structure and holds it together till I can get to the reciever and patch it then. :yes:

[Foxfire]

I surely don't understand why on earth you would need 10 coil racks but I guess each of us differ. If you are going to be hauling transformers like we talked about Dave, there are a lot of things mentioned that you will never have need of. In fact, you won't need everything I mentioned.
Man! It sure makes me wonder how in heck I dragged a skateboard around for so many years when I didn't have all of those "luxuries" ya'll are naming as required......lol.

[Chiefwhatdahey]

8 chains & binders, 8 2" straps, 10 4" straps, some edge protectors (exact count unknown as you will lose and replace these) I cut up old inner tubes and use these for added tarp protection, I carry about 100 bungies give or take, I don't like flappy tarps, a fistful of 16 penny nails and a good hammer, crowbar, band aids, safety glasses for flying hooks when bungies break, 4 good 4X4 that are not for sale or to be given away. I don't carry coil racks steel mills are the grocery warehouse of the flatbed industry. :D

[Truckaxe]

I surely don't understand why on earth you would need 10 coil racks but I guess each of us differ. .

You should carry the 10 coil racks so you have enough to do 5 coils (2 for each coil on racks with 4x4 lumber)

[Foxfire]

Maybe. But I never had over 6 at any one time. It the coils were small enough to load 5 of them they should be on pallets.......lol

[Truckaxe]

Maybe. But I never had over 6 at any one time. It the coils were small enough to load 5 of them they should be on pallets.......lol

I wish that that would be the case but I have had where the coils had to be loaded on racks and have had to have spacing in between them.

[Curlyfrompgh]

Maybe. But I never had over 6 at any one time. It the coils were small enough to load 5 of them they should be on pallets.......lol
And if every flatbed were so simple that any chimpanzee could do it they would! :harhar: ( and there would be no problems!) :rofl:
You tell the shipper that he should put them on skids and let me know how it works out ;) :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Curlyfrompgh]

If you are going to be hauling transformers like we talked about Dave, there are a lot of things mentioned that you will never have need of.
It sure would have been nice if we all had this information. The impression I got from the topic of this thread was that Dave was going to be running general flatbed freight. If that were the case the list I gave would apply. If ALL he is going to haul is transformers…. Then this is an exercise in futility. :wtf:
I made this list so that a person would have the items necessary to improvise just about any load without doing something halfa$$ed. All of the equipment I carry must have at least 2 uses to justify the added weight.
Man! It sure makes me wonder how in heck I dragged a skateboard around for so many years when I didn't have all of those "luxuries" ya'll are naming as required......lol.
Yes, I suppose to some, these may be “luxuries”. But it is better to have the equipment and not need it, than need it and not have it! If you don’t have the equipment to safely haul the load...Then DON'T book the load!

[Curlyfrompgh]

I carry about 100 bungies give or take, I don't like flappy tarps,
I don't either it not only reflects poorly on you, but also destroys the tarp. Can you say wind-rip? :angry:
a fistful of 16 penny nails and a good hammer, crowbar,
I like COTAED sinker nails :cool: They have a glue coating on the that heats up when you drive them in and they stay put till you pull them out with a long bar and some oomph :cool:
band aids, safety glasses for flying hooks when bungies break,[/qoute]
Band aids? These should be in a basic first aid kit that ALL drivers should have be they flatbedders freight haulers or whatever. Tip: keep the safety glasses in the cab just like your sunglasses and they'll last longer. If you keep them in your turtle shell,(hard hat) like I did, they'll get scratched up and you won't want to use them. All it takes is one mishap and you won't be doing much of anything the rest of you life except lamenting the fact that you didn't have your glasses on!
[quote]4 good 4X4 that are not for sale or to be given away.
None of your equipment should be for sale. It may help another driver now but what happens when your next load calls for the equipment you just sold and it is not available? :thinking: .... :angry: .... :vmad:
I don't carry coil racks steel mills are the grocery warehouse of the flatbed industry. :D
I know I know but you gotta take the bad with the good. :noclue:

[Foxfire]

I didn't mean to upset you curly. I was only joking about the luxuries.....lol. But I have been at this skateboard thing for a number of years and I handled it with what I had. I have hauled some small coils that were not on racks nor were they on pallets. I have also hauled a lot of palletized coils. I also remember pulling a 48 ft. sliding tandem flat with only one set of 8' drop lumber tarps for everything that had to be tarped. I figured out how to do it and keep it all neat. And I am proud to say the most I ever had a torn tarp was when a small tear that ws already there got on a corner after I put the tarp on and I saw it at my first stop. That duct tape came in real handy then. It looked like crap but it was very easy to repair when I got back to the yard. I've even loaded flat steel in Conshohocken, Pa. and covered it with that same 8" drop lumber tarp. The only way you could tell it wasn't a steel tarp was it didn't have any D-rings showing. It was neat and not flapping either. I'm sure there are lots more things needed nowadays. I was just trying to make a lil fun.

[White Dog]

I don't carry coil racks steel mills are the grocery warehouse of the flatbed industry.
You got that right!

I do not carry coil racks or chains-----anything requireing those two securement methods does not see my trailer.

I mostly haul our own companies product out-bound (decorative block, pave stone etc...), requiring just straps and corner protectors.

I have no headache rack---just a bulk head and side box.

**I carry 12 four inch straps (rolled on to the wenches), and 4 extras under my sleeper.

**I carry 2 two inch straps with ratchets under my sleeper.

**I carry 1 cheater bar under my sleeper.

**I carry 20 plastic corner protectors that I hardley use---duct taped together under my sleeper.

**I carry 6 ten inch pieces of old 4" straps, 10 eighteen inch pieces, and 4 twenty-four inch pieces to protect tarps from sharp edges, under my sleeper.

All of the above fits neatly under my sleeper with my tool box, triangles, and fire extinguisher.

**I carry 2 four foot drop tarps in my side box.

**I carry 12 long steel corner protectors (the kind that run most of the lenth of a stack of block/brick etc....) in my side box.

**I carry a butt load of bungies in my side box (I too like a nice tight tarp).

**I carry 2 eight foot drop tarps on my trailer.

Aside for the 8 foot drops---everything above fits neatly in my side box.

**I carry 8 eight foot 4x4's between the dollies to use for donage (secured tightly so as to keep the D.O.T. happy and off my butt.

If any freight should require more than what I've mentioned----I simply do not haul it....makes no difference to me.
I DO NOT HAUL COILS!!!!! SOMEONE ELSE CAN HAVE THAT HEAD-ACHE!!!!

p.s. Dave; I just hauled three 14,500 lb. transformers from Laredo, TX. to Iona, ID. (Idaho Falls) where G.E. is putting up 44 wind mill generators.
I used three 4" straps per, and nothing else.....it's that simple.

It all depends on where you go, and what you haul. If I carried even half of the stuff some of these other guys are talking about, it would be double over kill, and without a head-ache rack, I simply wouldn't have the room for it all.
On the other hand, if you run into a situation where you need it---you'll wish you had it.

My company is unique in that they are a manufacturer, and can afford to run their trucks anywhere in the midwest, and bounce back to the plant without worry of fuel cost...because the block and stone pays weel enough---(and 90% of our drivers do just that).....I run O.T.R. and need to carry a minimal amount of equipment for variety of loads offered out and about.

If I had a head-ache rack, I would throw 10 chains and binders on their for the heck of it-----but still refuse to haul coils. :p

[Curlyfrompgh]

I DO NOT HAUL COILS!!!!! SOMEONE ELSE CAN HAVE THAT HEAD-ACHE!!!!

I have a friend who runs nothing but NYC and New England who told me "Find something that no one else wants to do and do it, you'll always have job security."

I didn't mean to upset you curly
It takes more than that to upset me.

I have hauled some small coils that were not on racks nor were they on pallets.
:thinking: I'm not sure I want to know but here goes anyway....
:wow: How'd you do that?
I also remember pulling a 48 ft. sliding tandem flat with only one set of 8' drop lumber tarps for everything that had to be tarped. I figured out how to do it and keep it all neat.
It can be done, it's just a lot easier to do with steel tarps. This comes under the heading of working SMARTER not HARDER.
And I am proud to say the most I ever had a torn tarp was when a small tear that ws already there got on a corner after I put the tarp on and I saw it at my first stop.
This is something to be proud of. I'm not afraid to admit this; I learned the hard way and was not as fortunate as you as my first stop everything was fine but when I was going down the road shortly after I saw MY tarp blowing around and by the time I was able to stop and fix it the damage was done
I've even loaded flat steel in Conshohocken, Pa. and covered it with that same 8" drop lumber tarp. The only way you could tell it wasn't a steel tarp was it didn't have any D-rings showing. It was neat and not flapping either.
This is easy to do with an 8' drop and flat steel: You chain down the steel and fold up the sides of the tarp underneath, (this helps keep the tarp from being shreded as the outer tarp is not rubbing on the steel but rather against another layer of vinyl) then strap down the tarp every 4' or so.
I'm sure there are lots more things needed nowadays. I was just trying to make a lil fun.
These things are not "needed", they allow you to load nearly anything possible without having to beg, borrow or steal the items needed to run a load. This is something that a customer will remember that you came prepared, loaded, and secured properly where they would feel comfortable with you driving alongside their family. And the other guy....shows up doesn't have the equipment to load, does something half-a$$ed that they wouldn't even want their worst enemy riding along side of. Who do you think will get out of the gate loaded? (if the shipper has any sense of responsibility and does not simply say “It’s on their trailer, it’s their problem.”)